Helmhammer of Thor Almighty
by zaulster
Summary: Part III of the journey, the Block Star Pirates head into the glorious Helmhammer Sea with new ambitions only to be ambushed and attacked by a secret government organization, Cipher Pol 10, whose number one tasked goal - assassinate Captain Zato D. Alba.
1. Chapter 53: Marine Affairs

**Helmhammer of Thor Almighty  
Chapter 53  
Marine Affairs**

Six ships came sailing rapidly into the coast. The citizens rushed to welcome the Star Pirates' return. They were horrified to see Nick's condition. What was more gruelingly important? The minimum of thirty marine warships coming after them, and they were coming fast.

The head of the fleet, _Storm Devil_, was a menacing symbol itself. The rest of the marines bowed down in fear to Admiral Commissioner Kragin's rule. What he said was to be done.

He himself was a relaxed and respectable man. He lay on his mat in the center of the deck sunbathing. His beauties were always there. He was a rich man, and he had quite some power in West Blue.

Noticing that they had approached Sharpshooter Island, the destination of the criminals, Kragin got up and put on his uniform. He filed the ranks and stood tall upon the bow. "My fellow marines, we are here to bring about justice. The islanders are to be spared, unless, of course, they assist the pirates. But leave them be. Our main targets are the Alba Pirates."

The marines confirmed their duties and assumed their appropriate positions. They were just miles from the island now. Kragin remained in his stance. All of a sudden, his Den Den Mushi began to ring. He pulled it out from his pocket and responded.

"Admiral Commissioner.. Kragin!?" the voice on the other end cried.

"Yes, who is it?"

"It's me, Agora!"

"I see. Did you vanquish the kingdom of Frona? Thank god it wasn't an actual Buster Call. But what were Akaiso's motives?"

"No.. no I didn't. In fact, I was completely trashed and wiped out by Zato Alba."

Kragin seemed a bit disturbed. "The pirates overcame the Buster Call? Meaning it was a failure?"

"Y.. yes, Kragin-san."

"Then where are you at the moment?"

"I am currently in Frona, trying to restore the peace."

"What did you say..?" Kragin muttered.

"Hold up, listen to what I'm saying. I've found some really disturbing material. I was going through the Frona palace when I found Akaiso's section. I still haven't found Akaiso.."

Kragin knew that answer. "Surprisingly enough, he was picked up from where we first spotted the pirates on the move. Him, along with a very large machine. It's in complete ruins, so we can't determine what it is."

"He's out at sea!? Kragin-san, I have some very important stuff to tell you.. Akaiso.. he's a fraud as a Shichibukai."

Kragin was again disturbed. "Carry on."

"His entire 'office' is filled with plans and directions for a secret, underground organization. It's just like that Crocodile a long time back!! It didn't seem very successful. My men are investigating it at the moment."

Kragin did not like the words he was hearing. "Unfortunately, I speak directly to your father, Akainu. Or I speak to Sengoku. This information is not suiting for the moment. They will not be pleased. This will not turn out good. But for now, we'll hold Akaiso in custody."

The word spread around the ship and the marines were gossiping about it. Kragin turned and glared, silencing them. Just before he hung up, Agora spoke, "Wait.. there's more."

"What..?"

"The damage done by the pirates is only focused on Akaiso's area.. other than that, the only crime they've done is steal my warships. To pursue someone out at sea.. Kragin-san, please tell me, what is that machine you have?"

"I'll investigate it soon enough, but if all they did was sack Akaiso's base.. then that would mean.. they knew about the organization.. and opposed it. Was the organization for a good purpose?"

"World domination.. threats to overthrow the government.. things like that. It seems a bit serious to me. Please contact Sengoku directly. I would rather not have my father speaking to us," Agora replied.

"That would mean that these pirates are innocent, including Fuyu Sashimi?"

"Not.. necesarily.. I discovered something else shocking. But I would like to discuss that with you in private." Kragin understood and stepped back into his cabin.

He came out in a minute with maddened eyes and the Den Den Mushi crushed in his hand. "Ranpu Yuushitsu..?"

/\/\/\

Mariejoa. The center of everything. The center of the world. The center of the World Government. Far from the events in Frona, West Blue, the ultimate ruler of the World Government sat in his office thinking to himself.

He was an aged man. He had a seagull cap on his head. This was Fleet Admiral Sengoku! His royal Den Den Mushi started buzzing. He answered it. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Head of the World Government speaking. Who is it?"

"This is Admiral Commissioner Kragin, Head of Kisho and West Blue Marine Operations speaking. I have an urgency to be clarified." Kragin explained.

Sengoku seemed rather alarmed. "I have heard of that great conflict.. but Kniex 'Storm' Akaiso, a criminal!? Lock him up at once!! I'll send an Admiral there to deal with things."

"What of the Star Pirates?"

"Let them go for now. We have much more things to worry about than just a few pirates. They did the right thing I suppose. Just make sure this is _not_ exposed to the public! Restore the Frona Kingdom! Lock Akaiso up in the Kisho Marine Base at once. Keep him there until he is ready to be moved to Impel Down!"

Kragin sighed before starting the next point, but Sengoku had already hung up. He did not know whether he was to say that or not. It was impossible to believe - Ranpu Yuushitsu was killed years before by Akaiso and Warren. No way he could be part of the Star Pirates. "Pull back, everyone!! Pull back!! There will not be an attack on Sharpshooter Island! We'll leave the pirates as it is. This is my order, and the order of Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"

He buzzed into Sengoku once more to explain the story. It was alarming. Sengoku wrote it down and tried to focus on the next of his problems.

A large figure appeared right beside him. "My servance is offered to you, Sengoku."

"Thank you, Kizaru. Go help clean up Frona.. and take care of Akaiso for me."

/\/\/\

"One Shichibukai is now being stripped of his status," the eldest of the Gorosei chuckled. The Goroseii was a group of the Five Elder Stars who served as the advisory council for Fleet Admiral Sengoku.

The doors slammed open and Sengoku himself entered. "Too much is happening in West Blue. Pirates.. they're just uncontrollable. Ever since Gol D. Roger, argh. No.. ever since Monkey D. Luffy. That's what I have to say. Luffy was something else. First with Crocodile, then with the CP9 and Enies Lobby.. and then with Impel Down and Portgas D. Ace. This Zato reminds me of him. A young rising star. He will become a huge threat soon enough!"

Another elder smirked. "Why are we concerned about such rookies? I would consider Blackbeard's disappearance as more of a problem. There's been no word from him for some time."

"None of the Shichibukai can be trusted now!" another elder shouted. "Akaiso and Crocodile have proven it. Akaiso wished to overthrow you."

"I believe everyone wants to overthrow me," Sengoku glared. "Set them aside, please. The matter of this meeting is about those pirates. What shall we do?"

"Maybe test them..?" the eldest suggested. "Cipher Pol is the most efficient way."

"Find out their motives too."

"Cipher Pol will most likely fail. The only one that was powerful enough was CP9, which was taken out by the Straw Hats."

Sengoku called for order. "You suggest deploying our Cipher Pol? It won't work."

"Oh, yes it will," a new voice interrupted. They looked around and could not find the voice.

_Boom!_ The large man landed out of nowhere. He looked vicious. He had a silver cape and red spiked hair. His hands were concealed by thick black gloves. His eyes glared at each of the elders before stopping dead on Sengoku. "You don't know me, obviously."

"Who are you then?" Sengoku inquired. The Gorosei watched anticipatingly.

"The leader of the Cipher Pol."

"There is no such thing. The Cipher Pol is a secret police service hired by the World Government - us - and there has been no new one deployed since the fall of the CP9."

"Exactly. It's a secret police service."

"How did you get in here?" one elder cared to ask.

"I've come to negotiate," he growled. "My name is Raiki. I am a destructive man. I have led the CP10 to victory in a number of battles. Our next focus was West Blue.. before I decided to stop by here."

"CP10?" the eldest asked, surprised. "So you came because we were talking about the Star Pirates.. led by Zato D. Alba. Let me guess, you're going to offer to wipe out the pirate crew?"

"That's it? We could easily destroy Zato with any one of our Admirals. Don't think you can blackmail us. By this point, you can already be considered guilty," Sengoku snapped.

"Who said I'm blackmailing? I want no money. I just want respect. I want my organization to be bumped up. I'll take Zato off your worries for you. If you let him go after the Akaiso conspiracy, it shows how much else you have to do. Leave Zato for me. He's my enemy. I've been wanting to prove myself."

"So be it," Sengoku stuttered. "But show me, who are your comrades?"

Raiki flicked a finger and the doors flew open. Sengoku turned. His eyes bulged. "Lieutenant Doki?!?"

/\/\/\

_Storm Devil_ sailed back towards the Kisho Base with the fleet close behind. Akaiso was thrown into a vault and locked up shut.

He just sat there in a state of misery. Just before going into a trance, a man appeared outside of the bars. "Ah, Royal Shichibukai Kniex 'Storm' Akaiso. So much for you, now."

"Admiral Kizaru," Akaiso groaned, gritting his teeth. "What are you doing here?"

"I was sent by Sengoku to 'deal with you'. It seems like you're doing fine. But I'm here to get some questions out of you as well."

Kizaru was pardoned for the tortured screaming heard in Akaiso's vault.

/\/\/\

All the while, down below the castle of Mariejoa, a dark being looked up. "The time is almost right.. to take the World Government."

/\/\/\

Admiral Akainu the Red Dog and Admiral Aokiji the Blue Peasant (along with Kizaru, these three made up the trio of the strongest marine officials who served directly under Sengoku) sat in the lobby. "I've seen Zato D. Alba's record. It's rather interesting."

"I will get my revenge. My son's failure.. well, it's all upsetting, huh? Frona Kingdom should be destroyed. A Buster Call is a Buster call. Once things here are straightened out, I'll head over to West Blue and show my strength."

"Don't be too reckless."

"Shutup, Aokiji."

**All these high marines are acting!  
Enjoy and review! :)**


	2. Chapter 54: Block Star Ambitions

**Helmhammer of Thor Almighty**

_Day 29: Boy! It's been two weeks since our crew did the unimaginable - we dispatched that evil organization Akaiso Works! Tough job indeed, but I'm glad anyways. Finally, I found my diary too. Hm... let's see all that's happened._

So.. exactly two weeks ago, that very evening, when we returned to Sharpshooter Island.. for some reason, the Storm Devil_ turned and sailed away. No word of Akaiso, though it had been put up in a recent published flier that Royal Shichibukai Kniex 'Storm' Akaiso had resigned from his position, meaning the government was in need of a replacement. I don't believe it at all. He must have been found out. After that, we steered _Shooting Star_ upstream and hid it in the forest in case the marines came by._  
_  
I think our claims about Akaiso were proven when we returned to Frona Kingdom one week ago.. just Zato, Mimi, Mike, Olvia, and I. Neko and Evian have strangely gone missing again. The queen restored the peace of the country. Everyone is safe. She thanked us but told us that we must leave soon. Admiral Kizaru had stopped by one day and would return soon to check through everything. Commissioners Agora and Kragin both are sailing around. They came to Sharpshooter Island and questioned the elder. Fortunately we were spared and not discovered. We learned that Akaiso's section of the kingdom held mysterious documents about plans against the government. They were discovered by that fag Agora.. argh, I can't believe the way he dragged me through that street._

Evian.. the mystery he is. He saved me from a gruesome death right there and just exploded into a new being. He has a tendency to just disappear. But I'm still scared, the way he summoned such incredible power of lightning. Also, all the bad guys are calling him something like Ranpu. Who is Evian really? We oughta find out~~!!

The tragedy came on our crew. We are pirates, criminals, outlaws. Nikhil Anarion, or Nick, joined forces with us to stop Akaiso. He was not officially a crew member, even though we consider him enough as our nakama. We'd known him for like two days.. and then he was the one out of us all who suffered the most. Nick's entire body is ruptured. His right leg and left arm detached from his body. The impact that hit him in his battle was just so powerful and head on! I don't know what to say.. I feel guilty. The poor innocent guy who fought for his own justice is the one to suffer for the rest of his life! And just when we were planning to ask him to become a true member of our crew - he was enough of it already. The medics and Mike directly told us that his days as a sharpshooter were over. Moving was enough a problem for him. He needs major amputations.

Boy, have I written a lot or what? My hand is swelling now.. agh, memories, memories are so important. I better not lose this diary. All I know is that from here on out, it doesn't get easier, it'll get tougher. The opponents will be wilder and weirder. What do we have to do? Just get stronger =)_. Besides, I got shopping to do! And I'm hearing things about the ALL FAMOUS OGURI SHUN!!!!! 3 I will do anything to find him!! Well that's it for now! Au revoir._

**  
Chapter 54  
Block Star Ambitions**

Tohru walked through the streets of Sniper Town. She needed a break from everything. Zato and Fuyu had finally recovered completely. She was still worried. And she hoped Evian and Neko would come back.

She saw the statue neatly carved out and melted away. "Oh my OGURI SHUN!!" Her call attracted many other girls. They were catfighting in seconds over who Oguri Shun rightfully belonged to. "He's mine!" Tohru cried. "He is mine and he will be mine because I **HEART** Oguri Shun!"

The girls scattered when loud stomping came from the back of their crowd. Tohru gulped and stared at the large figure in front of her. It was an obese lady wielding an iron pike over her shoulder. "Eeek! It's Alvida the Terrible! I can't believe you're still a monster!! AHH!!"

The lady growled viciously and lunged for Tohru. Fortunately, Tohru jumped away in time. "Alvida the Terrible?!? That is my SISTER you insolent brat!! I am Awilda the Horrible!"

Alvida the Terrible was a sickening female who raged throughout East and South Blue. She carried a massive mace and destroyed most crews that came in her way. She was also very ugly and obese, just like Awilda. However, when the legendary Monkey D. Luffy, Captain of the Straw Hats, defeated her and left her in ruins, she vowed to get revenge against him. Alvida consumed the Supe Supe no Mi, making her body slippery and oily. She became thin and beautiful and even more of a deadly pirate.

Awilda looked just like Alvida did before she ate the fruit. Only even more evil and brutal. And uglier. Three mean scoundrel pirates who looked like rats were at her side. "What were ye sayin' about Oguri? I tell ye, he's mine. All mine. I even have.. his handkerchief!" She snatched the piece of cloth from her companion and waved it around the air so everyone could see. Girls all around squealed and their eyes popped into massive hearts.

Tohru did the same, though she didn't let the fake completely get to her. "I doubt that's even his. And after you've put your hands on it, there's no more value. Oguri is mine. End of story."

Awilda took large and heavy strides until she was towering Tohru. "Yew little brat, I wanna kill ye!" Mercilessly, she rose the pike over her head and brought it down with all her strength. Tohru screamed, but surprisingly, something had saved her.. again. "Argh.. stupid men, stay out of this!"

Again, Evian had come to her rescue. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size, you hideous fowl demon. What kind of man are you, targetting innocent little SWEET hot beautiful small children, hehehehe, like Tohru."

Tohru did not know who to be more afraid of now, Evian or Awilda.

"What kind of man am I? I'M A WOMAN YOU PEDOPHILE!! I'll CRUSH you for this!" Awilda roared. Evian was pushing her pike back with his mere leg. Unfortunately, the pike expanded in size and overpowered him. Evian was nailed down to the ground and about to get smacked. Awilda suddenly withdrew her attack. "Agh, no point in killing you scum. I recognize ye enough, ye Star Pirates. I mean what kinda name is that? Yer captain surely is some retard. So are ye. Hear this, I am Awilda the Horrible. Oguri Shun is mine. Next time I see you in my way, I'll make sure you die a deathly death."

"Hold on!" Tohru cried. "Don't just back down right here. Unless you're that much of a coward. At least, let's make a challenge. Oguri Shun is definitely mine." All the other girls scowled. "I'll get to Oguri before you do."

"You are some brat," she mumbled. "This is the New Age of pirates. West Blue is rising above its capacities. Oguri Shun is more than just some idoled prince of the pirates. I'll leave it to you to discover his true part in the New Age. As well as the Old Age. And the ancient times. Once you find out, it will be quite a lot for you to handle." Awilda stormed away and disappeared into an alley.

Tohru was not beaten down by Awilda's words. She was inspired. Awilda and Alvida did not exhibit the same aura. They were different.

"I would kill her, but she is a woman. And plus, she's your enemy," Evian smiled.

Tohru slowly nodded and responded, "Uh huh. Now where the hell have ya been!?"

/\/\/\

Fuyu sat in the same room as Nick, his arms folded and his eyes shut. Nick lay concscious in bed. "Fuyu, why are you here?"

"Just wanted to see how you're doing," Fuyu mumbled.

Nick shook his head and said, "No. There's no need. I'm fine for now."

Fuyu got up and walked around the room. "Nick, you wanted to join our crew right?" Nick stayed silent. "It's just your type of character. You wanted to be on the adventure with us."

"So what?" Nick murmured. Fuyu stopped to listen. "I may have wanted, but it doesn't matter. Sharpshooter Island is my home. I'll stay here if I must. You can go now."

"I'm trying to tell you something.."

"I honestly do not care about what you think."

Fuyu was thrown back by this comment. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Fortunately, he loosened his aggression when he remembered that his target was handicapped. "What's with the attitude?"

"I don't like you Fuyu. That's it. It's no abomination or anything. I just don't think we are the type who will get along very well. I _hate_ cocky swordsmen." Nick used his only arm to reach for a long rifle tucked beside the bed. "This is a weapon. Not your makeshift blade."

His honor offended, Fuyu actually drew his sword. "You don't think this is a weapon? All a shooter shows is how much of a coward you are. You can't head up and fight, take the hit, or engage in the actual. You stay from behind."

Nick kept his cool and smirked. "I can't take the hit? Yet I'm the one who actually killed my opponent despite suffering from the impact. You don't call that a man, I don't know what you are. My life is gone from that fight."

"What do you mean I didn't kill my opponent?" Fuyu roared all of a sudden. Nick rolled over to the side and fell off the bed, but he avoided Fuyu's destructive and eruptive Meishingon.

There was a swirl of darkness that covered the scene, and then the bed had disappeared. Nick could tell that Fuyu wanted answers, so he spoke again: "I hear him, Fuyu. I hear his voice. He is still alive. He's very much alive. There's no way a guy like you could ever beat Karo Migotsu that easily."

"You seem to know.. a lot about him," Fuyu hissed.

Nick's wounds started to bust open again. He cried out in pain, and many people rushed in to assist him. Fuyu glared all the while. "Karo Migotsu is still alive..?"

/\/\/\

The sun trickled down the evening sky till it disappeared from view. Neko lay stretched out on a rockwall at the shore. He drifted to sleep with the cool breeze and the sound of the seagulls.

He woke up several hours later to see the magnificent starry sky. "I have never seen such freedom before. What is happening? Where am I? Wherefore am I headed? Will zaulster crush me..? ._."

A hand suddenly came over his shoulder, and he yelped at the thought of being abducted. Except it was only Mimi giving him a very awkward look. "Ms. Cynic!" he cried. "I mean... er.. Mimi."

"Yes, indeed Neko. Those codenames were so cool ya know, but it's time to move on. Akaiso is in the past. We are finally free."

"Yes, indeed Mimi. I worry about Ms. Sculptor though." Mimi hit herself on the head.

Just as they spoke, at the opposite end of Kisho, the trees on Pinpoint Island softly swayed. Nighttime brought tranquility and beauty to the island.

Pin stepped outside for a moment and watched from the balcony of his house. Every time he looked to the sea, he felt grief and shame. "Diz-kun, where are you? Please at least return before I perish." At that point, the poor old man collapsed where he was. Poni scurried out in tears and hauled him inside.

Winnie and Poni watched him carefully. Winnie? She had randomly appeared there as a silent child a few weeks before. Poni hugged her husband and wiped her tears away. He was suffering from a stroke.

Poni found her Den Den Mushi and contacted the Kisho Marine Base. The doctor would be there in two days. Outrageous, yet they could do nothing but wait.

Winnie watched from the balcony. She wanted to know what Pin had been looking for. Suddenly, there was an eruption far off at the shore. Poni came out worried without knowing what to do. "Something.. something's hit this island." Winnie was offered (pretty much assigned) the task of investigating the shore for what had arrived.

She watched from the bushes. There were two men standing across from each other along the coast. One had a huge sword in his hand. The other had nothing on him other than torn, raggedy robes. Winnie immediately noticed who the swordsman was. "Mistuh 2!" she cried, which came out as a loud whisper.

Diz was completely exhausted. His opponent was nothing like the others. This was the Legendary Warlord Alan, 'The Drunk Corsair'. He was the man locked up in the room Diz removed from _Skyma_ before falling from the sky. This was the man who, along with Akaiso and Warren, took out the Lightning Lord and vanquished the Lightning Kingdom. Alan was one of the worst known criminals in West Blue. His bounty was up at 270 million Beri. Yet wherever he went, he was found with only a bottle of sake. When Akaiso attacked Warren and destroyed the Sabre Pirates, Alan rushed to the rescue but was also crushed and taken as Akaiso's prisoner. Akaiso hoped Alan would cooperate and join his side as a powerful ally. Unfortunately, it didn't work. For two decades, Alan starved and suffered in a single room.

"Alan, listen to me. I'm not here to fight. I rescued you for a purpose. We share common enemies. There is no need for us to be clashing like this."

Alan's eyes were a maddened red. "I have no allies nor enemies. I do what I please. There is no motivation, other than alcohol. Where is my sake.. I have been robbed of it for an eternity. The only thing I care to do at this point is to slaughter and to annihilate."

Diz was clearly worried. Then, Alan popped into the air. Before Diz could blink his eye, Alan landed right in front of him and flicked his finger. There was tremendous force in the tiny flick. Diz found himself two seconds later lying on his back about a hundred meters down the coastline. Alan flashed through again and landed hard on Diz. "Alan.. please.."

"I don't give a crud whether or not you 'rescued' me. I don't need your help. I don't need you."

"Don't kill me..." Diz cried.

Alan grabbed Diz by the neck and, in another second, they had rushed all the way from the coast to the local forest about a fraction of a kilometer away. Alan threw Diz back into a tree while still holding a firm grip on him. "I'll spare you only because you value your life. You are strong Diz. But you are not strong enough. Neither are the Star Pirates. Do not think I know nothing of the world around. Akaiso may have been defeated, but that doesn't mean the evil ends. In a world of this sort, power is all that matters. If you don't have power, there's no point in even talking about your motives. Yet motives overall are still pointless. Why waste your time making foolish goals? They are rarely ever succeeded. I have grown out of it. I do not care to much of anything. Those who die, they die. Those who stay are those who are strong. It is a mere survival of the fittest."

Alan's words enraged Diz. "Don't.. be.. a fool.." Diz choked.

"Perhaps your freedom of living has no meaning. I'll just kill you and get you out of my sight." Winnie moved just in time. Before Alan made his move, clay wrapped around his arm and pulled it down. He seemed a bit disgusted. "I would've spared you if you chose not to interfere."

'Oh no's.. he knew I was here!' Winnie thought. She continued thrusting clay up from the earth with her Chou Zhou no Mi (Clay Sculpture Fruit). Alan simply stiffened his muscles and all the clay covering his skin and weighing him down simply cracked off.

Diz was still held in a tight grip, but he noticed the clay as that of Ms. Sculptor's. Unfortunately, Alan had been driven to insanity. He jumped extremely high up into the air, hurled Diz down into the sandy beach, and kicked his legs with hyperspeed. A massive blue scythe tore through the air and collided with the shore. Waves ripped up in intensity and splashed violently against that side of the island. Even worse though, the explosion covered the whole shore.

Alan landed out in the sea. Instead of sinking into the water, he stood perfectly firm on the surface. Alan looked back at the demolished shoreline. "Interesting Diz. You survived that?" He faced forward again and took long strides across the ocean.

/\/\/\

Poni had no clue as to what would happen. Winnie had walked right into the explosion. There had to have been some brutal fighting going on..

Then, she noticed a man exit from the woods and climbing up the hill to the Pinpoint Ranch. He was carrying Winnie. He was worn out. He was bruised all over. Poni seemed a bit afraid of his appearance, but she knew this man was familiar. "Diz-kun?"

"Baa-sama, I'm home."

She squealed with joyful tears and hugged him.

Pin squinted his eyes open and took a look from his bed at the man entering the household. "Diz-kun. You've come back."

Diz had returned at last. He was finally free. But he knew the journey was nowhere near over. There was much left to come."

/\/\/\

The next morning had the Star Pirates up early. They were all packed and all set. Mimi had decided that she did not have to join them. She had her own journey to undertake. "Now I tell ye Zato.. if you ever need me, I'll be there."

Evian was back, yet Neko was not. It scared them a bit. "Neko better show up," Tohru mumbled. "He's our friend, though a very odd one."

Zato stood in the infirmary. He watched Nikhil Anarion sleep in peace; he watched Nikhil Anarion sleep in pain. "I'm sorry, Nikhil. I wish for only the most fortunate in your future. You are an amazing boy."

Fuyu was still in confusion from Nick's words. He decided he had to seek out Karo Migotsu and eliminate his opponent completely. It would have to be a fair and square defeat. He would have to win.

Zato looked out the sea as the crew boarded. "Diz.. you did a heroic thing indeed. I hope someday we cross paths. That day, we shall greet each other as comrades."

Olvia came screaming from the female quarters. "There's a CAT in the toilet!!"

Tohru went in and did not come out.

Mike decided he had to go and rescue Tohru. He came out with Neko soaked in toilet water, but no Tohru.

After enough had happened, the crew set sail once more. They bid farewell to Mimi and gave their gracious thanks to Sharpshooter Island for all its help. Here were seven pirates who had grown from their challenges in the Kisho Sea! Yet none forgot Nick and his bravery to fight on their behalf.

Tohru steered due West as she inspected Mimi's map. "Looks like we've got a fun adventure comin' up!"

Everyone huddled around. "Next stop is Canvas Island!"


	3. Chapter 55: Alan, the Strongest Pirate

The dawn fog reduced most vision in west Kisho. Two ships grabbed hold of the current and made for the finish line. They were so close to the end of Kisho. The two captains had killed their way up to the top. Both bloody corsairs, they were determined to get their hands on the treasure of the Grand Kingdom. Neither of the ships noticed each other, but they sailed to the canyon that passed through the sea ranges splitting up the whole West Blue. To the south were the Kisho ranges, the Gate of Kisho somewhere embedded within them. Just as they exited the murky fog and made it for the gate, both ships nearly collided.

"Argh!!!" Armon, Captain of the _Devil Beetle,_ screeched. His crew of a hundred scoundrels rushed all over the deck, and they managed to steer it away from their death. Gar, Captain of the _Horn Rider_, of the saw his chance of success being threatened, and he ordered open fire on the _Devil Beetle._

_ Boom!_ The sea filled with the sound of explosion. The cannon had erupted, and the cannonball soared into the ship right next to it. However, it did not go the full way. It just exploded in the air. The fog thickened all of a sudden. Armon could hear a hissing noise through the air, and he scanned the unclear surroundings to try searching for it. Something appeared right in front of him, and it was closing in.. WHAM!

A large man kicked him back. The single impact sent him soaring into the mast pole and tearing the whole thing. The large wooden structure came down with a huge crash. The whole ship was wrecked now. The fog cleared up for a moment. Armon got up and looked at the opponent, an old drunkard standing on the water between both ships. "Who the hell are you?!"

The man glared, and Armon collapsed. Gar was overcome with fear, but he made a fatal mistake anyways. "Shoot.. shoot that man!! Blow him away!" The cannon took fire once more. It aimed so that a single shot would take out both the mysterious man and the enemy crew.

The cannonball was shot, yet the man jumped right onto it. Just before it crashed into _Devil Beetle_, he weighed himself down and brought himself and the cannonball into the water. Gar did not want to face more. _Horn Rider_ continued towards the clear canyon that would take them to the Helmhammer Sea. The destructive man had already sank underwater. Hopefully they could get away alive.

He suddenly tore right out of the water in front of the ship so close to the canyon. Gar knew his crewmates' lives were on the line now. "Who are you!? What did we do to you?" Unfortunately, one of the pirates fired again. This man held his hand out and resisted the force of the cannonball. He crumbled the projectile in his palm, darted at the ship, and kicked the hull pretty hard. Gar did not even know how his death occurred - the ship flipped over into the air and landed on _Devil Beetle_. Both were demolished by a single man.

/\/\/\

A young marine charged into the room with a worried look. "Commissioner Kragin-san! I have a report!"

Kragin snatched the paper from the marine and inspected it. "Armon the Celebrant... a wicked captain from North Blue. He managed to invade and rob the North Blue Intermarine Centerpoint Base without being arrested. Gar the Arson, not as harsh but still a huge threat for completely incinerating a South Blue trading post. I'm surprised to see that both are dead so soon. What happened?"

"Sir.. Alan, the 'Drunk Corsair', he's back on the loose." Kragin put up an extremely stern look of disbelief.

/\/\/\

_Day 49: Bon Matin! =) The morning is so beautiful. We're closing in on the end of our journey.. I mean the journey through Kisho. Our journey in total is nowhere near over. We're barely started! Ok I'm gonna not rant about philosophical thematic things that you read in all of those adventure novels. Because that's boring, and if someone were to be reading my adventure I'd have to spice it up. Yet Evian's idea of spicing things up is renaming me Hogmelon -.-" I'll try to ignore that... So when we dropped anchor at Canvas Island, Neko scurried out with his palette. He's wanted to come to this island to learn about the arts._

**Chapter 55**

**Alan, the Strongest Pirate**

Neko stared in awe while seated on the floor at the massive main exhibit displayed on the museum wall. The artist, Moussi Fuava, once associated with pirates, yet the government arrested his whole crew. Before his death sentence, he depicted a beautiful representation of the sea. The painting showed a small ship sailing through the crystal blue sea, the wind alive and pushing the ship further through its journey, the pirates aboard cheering, the mountains of West Blue in the distant landscape, the dolphins gliding through the water and air as they joined along with the pirates, and the ever-so calm clouds drifting in the sky as they clumped to form abstract images. Tohru too felt amazement in the powerful painting. The art left a standing impact on many souls. Neko watched the realistic shapes push out of the image and come to life. He merely gazed like a small kitten at something much larger and incredible.

Evian peeked in from the entrance of the museum. He scanned past the shifting mass of people and deep into the hallway, where he saw Tohru just beside Neko.. both _very_ close. Then, the small girl started turning towards Neko.. and moving closer to him..!

"MADNESS!" Evian roared. He stumbled through the hallway and whipped out his lightning staff. "Madness I tell you!!" Screams came from the crowd of people who now attempted to escape from the lunatic's wrath. "Stay away from my sweetheart you INSOLENT freak!!!" Evian cried.

Neko continued looking at the painting. Tohru turned around and screamed a very awkward scream because a lightning ball was flying towards her. "Neko move!"

"Hunh?" Neko mumbled. He felt something coming at him and then went into a frenzy. "AGH I'M GONNA DIE!!"

"Then _move_!!" Tohru spat.

"I can't! T-T My legs fell asleep!" Neko sobbed.

"EH?!? BAKA!!" Tohru shouted. She grabbed Neko and dragged him out of the way just in time. The lightning ball whizzed past his right ear, but the static still shocked him. Even worse, the electric projectile smashed right into Fuava's painting. There was some sort of flash, and when everything cleared up, the painting had cracked in two. And the colors had distorted completely. Tohru did not really believe what happened. "YOU IDIOT EVIAN WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU MY GOD YOU'RE SUCH A BAKA I'M GONNA KILL YOU EVIAN!!!!!!"

Evian did not clearly understand Tohru, but when he saw her running pretty fast towards him, he spread his arms out and purred, "Puh please.. come.. I want you too!"

She kicked him very hard in the nuts. His voice went up several octaves, his eyes bulged, and he collapsed right there. "I.. I'm bleeding," he hiccuped. His voice made him sound like he sucked up a ton of helium.

The other viewers in the museum were horrified and glaring. The manager had his gun out. Neko was flooding tears.

/\/\/\

_Day 50: I'm not in a very good mood. We were nearly stoned back there for that. Plus that manager kept shooting till he ran out of bullets, then he kept shooting till he ran out of guns -.-" Even through I tried getting away from the mob of citizens by blaming Evian for it all. Fortunately we escaped Canvas Island before they skinned us alive. AGHH! Evian is such a baka! It makes me so mad. And I don't feel bad for him because he has to carry a fourteen-pound ice pack around. He gets that for messing up that awesome painting. I mean what **would** Moussi Fuava say? I bet he would shoot Evian. Cuz I WILL! :O_

Zato cleared his throat and then faced the crew. Evian was sitting down in a large chair, holding the ice pack very tight. Tohru was tied down by Fuyu to keep herself from killing someone. Olvia was attempting to comfort Neko, but it did not really work. Mike felt very sickened from the surgery he just gave Evian. "Alright. We need to clarify something, make something CLEAR."

Evian gave a puppy dog look to Tohru to make her pity him. She erupted again and tried breaking free, so Fuyu tied her down tighter. "Okay. First thing's first. Evian. TOHRU DOES NOT LIKE YOU. THINK REASONABLY."

The words pierced his heart like an arrow. Evian dropped to his knees with watery eyes and broke down right there. "But I love Tohru."

"Too bad," Zato moaned. "Second, can you guys not work together? We just destroyed a legendary painting. And now we're on the run from angry people. If anything, we should be _allying_ with these people, not antagonizing them. The government probably has us down as a huge threat at this point!"

Everyone sighed and looked around at each other. Before Tohru could explode again, Fuyu taped her mouth shut and even bound her feet to prevent her from thrashing wildly. "Lastly, grow up a bit and think about where we are. We're at the point where these mistakes will cost us a lot. If we want to protect ourselves as comrades, we have to come together as a team and become stronger. Akaiso Works nearly left several of us dead. We couldn't even protect Nikhil!"Zato's words sank into his friends' heads while he sat down and relaxed like the others.

Evian stood up from his chair, still firmly grasping the ice pack, and limped away to the kitchen. Neko walked to the upper deck and set up his easel for painting the horizon. Olvia formed a bubble of clouds around herself and floated up to the crow's nest. Fuyu kindly sliced the ropes binding Tohru, and she surprisingly got up without much of a fit. Mike retreated to a corner of the ship and snuggled up to sleep.  
Tohru opened her room up and ambled towards the bed. She immediately crashed into slumber from exhaust. She needed a mental break.

/\/\/\

_Day 59: Not much has been happening over the past week or so.. we've just been going around to random islands, hoping we didn't get shot by the citizens. We're getting even closer now to the end of this sea. I'm surprised it's been a while.. I guess we're just taking it easy. We've been in Kisho for a long time. I wonder what the next sea is.. oh wait! I remember, it was something like Helm hammer or whatever! Sounds cool!!!_

The ship drifted through the silent sea. The only thing to be heard was the motion of the soft tides. The moon shined ever so brightly and clearly upon the crew. Olvia and Tohru snoozed in the quarters. Fuyu rested high up in the crow's nest. Evian had his head down on the kitchen table, snoring rather loudly, while Mike snuggled up in deep repose. Zato, however, could not get himself to sleep. He felt distressed over what happened at Canvas Island.. and even worse, about Akaiso. "I thought the Shichibukai were all servants to the government. Are all the other six driven by selfish motives as well?.. So many mysteries. I need to find Diz again. Mike knows much about the man I saw in my dream. I don't know what's really going on. I guess I'll find out over time."

Zato really did not know what was going on. Several miles behind, two more pirate crews were swiftly pursuing the crew they saw pass by (the Alba pirates). One was the Trigger Pirates, led by Captain Rigu Scope, a marksman who was known for his deadly rapid fire and his keen vision. He had a magnifying scope lens replace one of his eyes that had been lost in a brutal battle. The other was Scope's ally, the Mine Pirates, led by "Gold Digger" Captain Kogane Izumo, a man who had struck gold in several rare sites. In fact, though his crimes gave him a bounty of 40 million, he was appreciated by many people around the world, including some in the government. Izumo led several legions of workers and, well, you could say that he had made quite a fortune through his business. These two crews did not plan to sack the Alba pirates as many would. In fact, they did not even know that Zato D. Alba and Fuyu Sashimi stood upon the ship ahead of them. They were merely going to negotiate an alliance with these foreign pirates, hoping to create a strong association of crews.

Izumo looked at Scope awkwardly - their ships were close enough for them to communicate at close distance. "Scope, what do you see with your eyes? Ask one of your lookouts to scan our surroundings.. I have a bad feeling."

One of the lookouts announced that they had finally spotted Zato's ship ahead. "It's not moving really, just sorta drifting! We'll be caught up in no time!"

"What about the rest of our surroundings!" Izumo shouted.

Scope's son rushed to the viewing scope in and zoomed as much as he could. He couldn't see anything at first, but then he made out the strange man standing alone in the middle of the water. "What the... father, there's some guy just standing there on the water. He's like.. standing on the water itself."

"Describe him.. quick," Scope and Izumo replied.

"He's in robes.. just robes. He seems like an average aged man, but he looks drunk. Yeah.. there's a bottle of sake in his hand."

"A bottle of sake..??" one of the crewmates cried in disbelief.

"So the Drunk Corsair has made his way here.. wasn't he eliminated years ago by Akaiso?" said Izumo.

Several of the members aboard rushed to the back of the ship to try seeing the man in the distance. They could all distinguish him very well. He was walking straight towards them, but he seemed to be coming faster than they were going. Suddenly, Scope's son shouted out, "Look behind him!!" They all noticed the waves starting to build up. "Is it.. a tsunami?!?"

"What do we do?!" someone screamed.

"How is there a tsunami out here in the sea!?!"

Scope and Izumo grabbed their respective wheels. "We're dealing with Alan here, so anything can happen!! Get moving at once! Take the wind, we steer east. If we move straight, that thing will hit us anyways! Get the mast! Move everyone!" The crew scrambled to their positions.

Zato heard the noises. He turned around and saw the two ships near his own. But behind it, he saw the massive wave coming as an unstoppable force. "EVERYONE, GET UP AND GET THIS SHIP MOVING! WE'RE ABOUT TO GET HIT!"

Scope and Izumo's ships were zooming right towards the _Shooting Star._ All of the Alba pirates came running out. But they felt that it was too late to do anything. They all cowered in the face of the mighty wave crashing down upon them.


	4. Chapter 56: Survival Game in Kisho Sea

**Helmhammer of Thor Almighty**

**Chapter 56**

**Survival Game in Kisho Sea**

The crew heard their captain shout. They knew it had to be bad. Tohru leapt onto the deck, already armed, and flung a pair of shuriken out at the wave approaching them. Of course, they hit with no avail. She used her wind boomerang** to whip up a strong gale that flew straight into the wave. Some of the impact was decreased, but it continued to build up as it came towards them.

Evian batted several lightning balls at once. Each bore a hole through the wave. Olvia thrust her hands out and created a huge stacking of thick cumulostratus. Fuyu and Neko watched as their crewmates made their best efforts to try weakening the impending force. "I would use my Meishingon to suck up that entire wave, but then it would go out of control and possibly harm some of us.. god I feel so useless right now."

It came to the point where they could do no more to hold back the incredible force. Tohru dived for the wheel and managed to get the ship to ride the wave up. "We can't flip over.. or we're completely done for!!"

Then, the full wave came crashing down. It hit them from the side coming down, so that they were practically sideways and falling through the air. "Crap!!" Tohru screamed. The wave gave them no mercy, it just washed over the entire ship.

_Splooosshh!!!_ The ship slammed hard into the water at an angle. Fortunately, it hadn't completely turned over yet, so there was still hope.

Unfortunately, the crew had been scattered by the wave. All but Neko, Olvia, and Mike had been submerged. It was particularly bad for Zato himself - being a devil fruit user, he couldn't swim!

The force of the wave was still whirling by underwater, so everyone submerged was tumbling through the water uncontrollably. Back up at the ship, Neko was clinging onto a free ledge, hoping not to fall into the water below. The ship was rocking back and forth. Neko prayed that it would come back straight and not flip over more the other direction.

Olvia had taken to the air as soon as the wave came crashing upon their poor ship. She grabbed the first person she could see, Mike, in the process, and took him to the air. Mike had reduced himself to his smallest form to stay upon Olvia's cloud. "No!! Fuyu, Evian, Tohru, and Zato are all drowning!"

Further up, Izumo was fortunate enough to have escaped the wrath of the wave. His ship had been bumped up into the air, but that was it. They noticed the Alba pirates struggling to get back upon their ship. However, that was definitely not the gist of his problems.

Scope, on the other hand, had taken a big hit. His ship was flooded, and a few of his members had fallen overboard during the crash of the wave. His crew was moaning in misery, trying to recover, when Scope roared out, "Everyone arm yourselves at once! There's still the source of our problem to take care of!"

Alan emerged from the water right by Izumo's ship. Izumo saw him leap into the air and land hard upon his deck. Izumo's main crew he had with him, unlike Scope's, was limited to twenty-one members. "The Drunk Corsair, huh? I didn't think you'd still be alive, Alan."

"It's good that you know me, but I don't know you. Just knowing your name as Kogane Izumo is not knowing you. The reason I don't know you is because all I see in you is a waste that stands in the way. You pirates have no ambition. Your gold digging is just a waste. And me? My so called ambition is to move about. I eliminate weaklings like you."

"I don't understand your reasoning, Sir Alan, but you shouldn't underestimate me," Izumo replied courageously. His crew was definitely very frightened, but their captain's composure kept them going.

"Observe, young captain, as I destroy you!" Alan released energy and propelled forward at rocket speed. There was quite an explosion, and Izumo's crew shrieked in horror as they saw their captain simply disappear into the impact of the attack.

Izumo did not end that quickly. Instead, he stood right where he was. His body had turned to pure gold, and he seemed to be in no harm. "You see, Alan, I ate the Kin Kin no Mi. In other words, I'm a Goldman. I told you not to underestimate me, for I can stand up to your offense."

"And you are assuming that it's over?" Alan replied.

"Of course not! Kin Kin no Shard!" Izumo shouted. Gold shards raced towards Alan, but he dodged them with ease and flickered right behind Izumo's back. "What happens when I shatter your little gold body?"

Alan kicked effortlessly, but the impact was huge as usual. It tore through the deck and over the ledge, giving the ship some damage. Izumo took the hit directly, so his head and chest were shattered off. "Captain Izumo!!" a crew mate cried.

Suddenly, the gold shards and loose pieces flew around uncontrollably. One managed to pierce Alan's arm. They began to materialize back into Izumo himself. However, before he could say anything else, Alan had prepared another attack. This one nailed Izumo's main body and knocked him overboard. The crew mates rushed to the edge only to see their captain drowning below. A few jumped over to help him.

Alan was nowhere near through with Izumo's crew though. Before the majority of the crew could run, Alan flickered right in front of four. He threw his whole body weight in this attack and sent them flying far out into the water. "He's fast!" Izumo's first mate, Tinjen, shouted. "Get Izumo back up!! Don't let him stop us - _stay alive_!!"

In less than a second, Alan was right above Tinjen, ready to eliminate the first mate. Unlike his captain, Tinjen had no way of defending himself at the last moment...

Then, Alan felt a flurry of stinging projectiles whiz right by him. He looked straight ahead and saw Captain Scope's crew fully armed and firing at him. Scope's ship was coming in fast. "Bullets.. huh? I'll show you the real power of projectiles!"

Alan pointed his fingers out and, similar to the Zato's technique, fired bullets of his own energy out at Scope's ship. Its energy so powerful, the "bullets" appeared as white streaks of light. Scope underestimated their power and told his crew to continue shooting. When the first burst of energy hit one of his crew members, a young boy, there was quite an explosion of energy. Scope turned and saw a hole bored through the boy's chest. It was clear that he had already been killed.

Then the rest came and hit the ship. Nothing seemed to have occurred at first.. but then Scope felt the ship going down. He looked over the side and saw massive holes in the side of the vessel. "WE'RE SINKING!"

"No we won't!" Scope shouted. "Man your posts quickly.. we can still live through this!!" However, Scope failed to notice Alan fire himself like a cannonball from Izumo's ship. The villain erupted through the deck and caused the entire ship to explode on contact.

Izumo was safely restored to his deck. Unfortunately, the first thing he saw was Scope's ship entirely obliterated. Pirates burned within or struggled to dive out into the ocean in time. "Rigu.. no!"

Similarly, the Alba pirates quickly restored their ship to its original position. All seven had made it back on the ship, but they all watched as the other crews in front of them suffered from Alan's power. "Who.. who is that guy?" Tohru whispered with fear.

Alan finally jumped onto the ocean and faced Zato's crew. "Only one left to destroy, I see." Alan tore across the surface of the water and, in a flash, landed upon the _Shooting Star_. "Zato Alba.. I heard much recent news about you from Akaiso."

"Who the heck are you!?!" Tohru screamed. "What makes you think you can just come here and kill everyone in your sight?!?"

Alan smirked and cracked the bottle of sake in his hand. "The fact that I'm strong and you're weak is what makes me _do_ that, not simply think. You people are the ones who _think_. I'm the one who judges and finishes things off. People like you have thought me as a madman."

Mike took a good look at the man in front of him and gasped with horror. "You.. you're Alan.. the Drunk Corsair!"

"That is right," Alan moaned. "I see you already fear me. Continue to fear me, and you will die. Perhaps if you overcome the fear, you will live. Since my freedom, I have vanquished over a dozen crews of your sort. Just because you stopped Akaiso.. doesn't mean I won't end you either, Zato Alba."

Zato nervously replied, "How.. how do you know me..?"

"Zato!! This guy is the one who allied with my former captain.. Alan and Captain Warren were both killed years ago by Akaiso!" Mike cried.

"Your former captain? Hehe, I thought I recognized you, Mike," Alan chuckled. "I'm surprised to see you still alive, after Akaiso choked you aboard that ship."

"What do you mean me? I'm surprised to see _you_ alive after Akaiso supposedly killed you and Warren!" Mike shouted. "Why don't you tell me.. what are you doing back here?"

"Wait.. I think I know," said Zato. Everyone turned to him. "You said you're free now, and you've mentioned Akaiso. Were you the captive that was held in one of his rooms.. in his mobile base?"

"That is true. Diz 'freed' me."

"How are you still alive though? Akaiso.. killed.." Mike cried.

"Akaiso froze Warren's bare body in front of _her_. Warren was the one who died, not me. Then he attempted to bring me to his side. Unfortunately, my fight with Ranpu Yuushitsu limited my strengths. Akaiso easily brought me down in the end." Mike stared horrified.

"Tell me then. If Akaiso was your enemy, and Akaiso is our enemy, why are you against us? Why are you against _all_ pirates? What are you trying to accomplish by destroying everyone?"

Alan chuckled and ripped off one sleeve. The Star Pirates gasped in horror at the sight before them. Alan's arm was severed with numerous wounds, scars, tattoos, scars. They could all see his veins bulging, and they could all see how pale and wrinkled his skin was. "Zato Alba, you have no idea about pain. You don't understand how this world is corrupt.. You don't understand my perspective."

"So you're killing people who don't understand you?" Zato shouted. His hands suddenly shone with energy. Unfortunately, by the time he blinked his eyes, Alan was in the air right by him. Alan gave Zato an effortless kick that sent the captain soaring off the deck and bouncing across the ocean surface.

"ZATO!!" Tohru and Mike screamed.

"Why you..." Fuyu hissed. He drew both his swords and swung them at Alan; however, Alan punched through Fuyu's swords and knocked him back flat on the deck. One of Fuyu's swords had been reduced to merely a single hit. "My weapon.. you destroyed it!?!"

Alan flickered to Fuyu's side and stepped on his head. He crushed Fuyu into the wooden floor and watched the swordsman suffer without anything to protect him. Alan then noticed a twinkling at the corner of his eye. He saw Evian coming at him with a massive lightning weapon. "A ball of lightning seems awfully familiar to me.." he mumbled. Evian anticipated Alan's counter by exploding into a ton of sparks as soon as his opponent attacked him back.

The sparks clung to Alan's face and shocked him. His opponent momentarily paralyzed, Evian slammed his lightning staff down on Alan's head from behind and knocked the corsair out. "Even people like you can be taken down."

Evian charged a massive load of electricity into his staff and raised it up one last time. "Here comes.. the KILLING blow!!" Right then, the electricity dissipated into thin air. Evian was now the stunned one, rendered completely useless and vulnerable. Tohru screamed when Alan spun around and smashed Evian away with a full blown force. Evian soared off the deck as well and drowned in the water under the ship. Alan now turned to face Mike and Tohru, the last two targets in his way. "Tohru, get back! He's merciless!"

"There's no way you'll live against him, Mike!!" Tohru cried.

Mike shook his head and said, "No! I'm the only one with a chance of talking to him!"

Alan roared with laughter and hysterically pointed his finger at Mike. "Talk to me, huh? Mike, you're still so innocent. You make me laugh. Why don't you try it? Oh why don't I just kill you right now? Harharr.."

Mike erupted into his full body form and ripped out his sharp claws. "If you can't even recognize friend from foe, then I have no clue who you are!" Mike lunged forward to unleash his fury.. he did not get far at all.

Alan stopped him halfway across the deck. His palm pressed lightly against Mike's chest. Alan softly whispered to his former comrade, "_Kujiku no Basuto!_" Mike was done for.

A massive explosion occurred right then, throwing Mike out of Alan's impact zone and back to Tohru's feet. Alan was caught amidst his own destruction wave and practically let it all out on himself. "What just happened??" Tohru shrieked.

"I have no clue..." he moaned. Suddenly, he saw something zip right in front of him. "WATCH OUT TOHRU!" Mike flipped backwards in time to grab Tohru and knock her to the ground. A humongous eruption of flames leveled just a few feet above her and Mike as they ducked on the floor of the deck. "It's that Mr. 2.. he's back!"

True enough, Diz now stood upon the crow's nest of the ship and proudly wielded his sword. "Alan, you're really going overboard. How much sake did you drink _this_ time?"

"I don't even know what I had," Alan mumbled. "Now get out of my sight or I _will_ kill you this time."

"Hehe.. I knew it. You're officially drunk," Diz teased. "Even you would be sane enough not to go on this much of a killing spree. Well.. it's not like you're sane in the first place though. I _told_ you to leave these guys ALONE. But instead you just decided to come here first thing."

Diz felt a sharp presence lurking right behind him. He spun and parried the offense just in time to prevent complete mutilation. In the process, he managed to knock his offender a safe distance away. "So we meet again, huh?"

Fuyu regained his balance right at the tip of the crow's nest and swung back over. "That was a sneaky move there, Mr. Sashimi," Diz complimented. "I didn't expect you to come for me first. Why's this?"

Fuyu took a quick inspection of Diz's face to point out tiny crystals still bound to his skin. He hasn't fully recovered from Mike's release, Fuyu thought. "What makes you think you're welcome to be here? What makes you think that I'm going to accept your support? You think I'd ever side with an enemy?"

"I see how it is," Diz sighed, clasping his sword firmly. "Well, in that case, I'll teach you, Mr. Sashimi, how a true assassin works."

"Not if I assassinate _you_ first Diz!" Alan roared. Within the blink of an eye, Diz was right behind Fuyu. He would have brought his sword straight through Fuyu's skull had Alan not deflected the blow from between the two swordsmen. Fuyu turned his head but was blinded by the shockwaves exploding from Diz and Alan's clash.

Tohru and Mike scrambled around on the deck below in disarray. "What's going on up there?" she cried.

"It's a three way battle.. Alan, Mr. 2, and Fuyu are all intent on killing each other at this point. Tohru.. we're not safe at _all_ in this position.." he said shakily.

"Then what do we do??"

"Alan's in a drunk frenzy right now. Nobody has any chance of stopping him at this point. Where are Olvia and Neko??"

Tohru heard shouting from beside the ship. She scurried to the side of the deck and looked over. Together, Neko and Olvia were lowering a life boat to get out and save Zato. Fortunately, Izumo had already anchored Zato up onto his ship. "Look, those pirates are signaling to us!"

Izumo waved two flaming sticks back and forth, trying to get the Star Pirates to come to his ship. "Why use the boats? Let me just shift our course towards that ship then!" Tohru cried.

Just as she turned towards the wheel, Mike caught notice of Diz and Fuyu together plummeting down to the deck surface. "NO!" he shouted.

They smashed through the deck and landed in the storage area underneath. Fuyu's swords soon dropped in as well while Diz's came last. Diz's massive blade released a load of fire energy upon contact with the bottom. Even worse, Fuyu's swords landed smack into several oil barrels and sliced holes through them. Within seconds, the entire ship was burning. Alan stood steady for a few seconds with blood red eyes. Then, he came down hard.

Izumo kept waving until a mighty explosion took the entire _Shooting Star_. The poor ship incinerated in the dark hand of Alan the Drunk Corsair. "I'm shocked to have picked _you_ up, Zato D. Alba from that ship. This is so grieving to see your crew perish in this manner." Zato watched silently in horror at Izumo's side.

A second eruption of flames took through the ship, and the cloud of smoke spread even more around the ship. Suddenly, Izumo saw that the Star Pirates were not at all done. The smoke twirled and twirled until it assumed a mighty form - a humongous black cloud ship. Olvia stood at its bow, majestically whirling her arms to control its movements. This ship floated into the air before turning around and facing the rest of the smoke below it. Alan similarly shot out of the mass of smoke like a missile and took to the air. By kicking the air under him, he was able to keep up with her and face her head on. "Oh my.. the Kumo Kumo no Mi actually exists?"

By looks, Olvia seemed possessed. A blue aura swirled around her body and lightened up her face. Even her eyes took on a mystic tone. Every time she swept her hands, the mystic aura floated along. Every one of her movements was gracefully conducted such that it truly impressed her opponent. As she pushed her weight forward, the ship of clouds rapidly sailed towards Alan. He anticipated the force and unleashed two bullets of air. Olvia quickly angled upwards, letting her ship dodge the full force of the impacts. Alan suddenly unsheathed a blade from his robes and flipped it out to three times its normal length. He knew that Olvia would anticipate a direct sword slash, so he tricked her by spinning the weapon so that it acted like a fan. "His proficiency with that sword is incredible!" Olvia thought to herself. "What is he planning..?"

Alan kicked himself further upwards and hurled his weapon straight into the cloud mass. Olvia kept her cool and clasped her hands in an effort to hold the ship together. Her attempts were to no avail though, for Alan's weapon continued spinning as it approached the center of the clouds. Soon enough, Olvia's smoke ship dissipated into tiny black clouds that merely drifted away into the air. Alan roared with laughter and twirled in the air in a crucifying manner. The remainder of the smog below him was dragged into his rotation and soon formed a similar mass, only more devastating. "I applaud you for your artistry with clouds, but your taste in beauty and artistic designs has no worth in battle. Now, witness _true_ power!" The smog above him wrapped and mixed together until it formed a solid ball of thick gaseous material. Olvia released.

Then, she noticed Alan right behind her. "No way.."

Tohru looked up for a second. All she saw was a blade slash through her. Olvia began to plummet. "NO!" she screamed.

Suddenly, the tables were turned. Olvia's body split into two pieces, and both puffed away into clouds. Alan was completely taken back by this, and he finally found himself vulnerable in the middle of the air to an attack from behind and above.

Olvia, wielding a majestic staff of frozen cloud mass, jabbed it into Alan's back right in the middle of the air. A plethora of energy released right then, shooting Alan straight down into the sea. All in a second, the water underneath Tohru, Mike, Neko, Evian, and Fuyu began to solidify. An entire ship emerged from the ocean all at once. Tohru never felt as confused as she was before. All she saw was Olvia descend from the air and grab hold of the steer. The ship's course shifted once again.

"Olvia.. what just happened?"

"No time to talk, let's get moving!" she exclaimed, and the _Shooting Star_ raced towards Izumo's ship.

Meanwhile, Alan finally managed to pull himself up to the surface. He was drifting in the sea, weak once more, as he watched the Star pirates escape from his clutches. "Zato Alba, you have quite an impressive crew..." he chuckled, and he allowed himself to sink into the ocean.


	5. Chapter 57: Sail Westward!

**Chapter 57  
Sail Westward!  
Diz and the Urgency of the Past, Present, and Future!  
**

Zato jumped aboard his ship from Izumo's ship. He had no way of believing what had just occurred. Unfortunately, there was no time to be wasted.

"What is your next move?" Zato cried to Izumo.

"I need to help Rigu Scope's crew out. They're drowning right now. But Alan clearly wanted to face you guys, so ya'll just go ahead. I'll hold him off as long as I can!"

"You can't just stay behind!" Tohru shouted. "That man's psychotic.. he'll slaughter _all_ of you!"

"Just keep going! We'll be fine, don't worry about us. Zato Alba, I am sorry that we must part this quickly, but I promise you that we will cross paths once more. Now get moving, quickly!"

Zato groaned and directed his crew to their respective stations. Fuyu was clearly injured, so Mike was tending to him to his best effort. Evian suffered quite a few more injuries, but he managed to keep up with the bustling events. All the while, the _Shooting Star_ departed the scene, leaving the rugged ocean battlefield behind.

/\/\/\  
\/\/\/

"Olvia!"

The five other crew members rushed to the deck and surrounded her. Tohru flustered as she felt Olvia's forehead. Mike took a quick look at her and put up a weak face. "She's most likely just out of it cause of extreme fatigue.. that was some battle she put up against Alan."

"I still don't get it!" Tohru cried. "Alan clearly slashed through her, but then she reappeared right behind him. And then the whole ship.. how did it just come out of the water?"

"I know the answer to those questions," a voice from the crow's nest hissed, sending a chill down all of the crew members spines. A shadow descended upon the crew members. Before they knew it, Diz came smashing down upon all of them. "You!" Zato shouted. Fuyu lunged at him with his single remaining sword, hoping to shred Diz to pieces. Diz, however, anticipated the offense and butted him aside with his sword.

The remainder of the crew armed themselves - Tohru with her boomerang, Evian with his staff, Mike as a panther, and Neko with his brush and palette. Diz scanned his surroundings before exploding on sight.

A sudden heatwave threw his four opponents back, leaving him to face Zato alone.

"Why are you HERE?" Tohru spat, trying to get up. "Why aren't you home, with your family? Did you _forget_ about them? They've been waiting for you, desperately trying to get you back for YEARS now, and here you are with freedom from Akaiso Works, yet you can't even return to your family? Instead you're back at sea, attacking pirates like us! What is your purpose, Diz?"

"I wish to speak with your captain, Alba-san. Had Akaiso not interrupted, I would have told you much more up in the sky. However, I had to act quickly, and I chose to free Alan."

"Alan? Tell us who he is!" Neko screamed. Everyone was startled by his voice. "Yes, I know you are all startled by my sudden participation in pirate politics, but of the things you could've done after I painted my spell on you, you let out that MANIAC?"

"Alright, I suppose I will explain to everyone. But put down your weapons, rub off your angry looks. I'm not an enemy."

Tohru was thinking, 'Look who's talking, -.-" you're carrying a sword that's bigger than me."

"Alan Jimmy was an ally of my former captain, Warren," Mike spoke up. "He was someone we always approached with caution, for we never knew when he would be insanely drunk. Regardless, he and Warren met long before I joined the crew. Alan never traveled with us, but instead he would always appear when we needed him the most. Sometimes he killed Warren's own crewmates before our eyes. He would go into frenzies. But he never laid a finger on Warren.. He treated Warren like a god, always serving him when needed. Then when he left our crew, we would hear reports of whole pirate bands being destroyed in instants by him. Yet whenever he was seen, all he carried was a bottle of sake.. thus came the name Alan the Drunk Corsair.

"There came a time when several legions of pirates allied together in a huge war - this occurred at the North portion of West Blue, Jentou Sea. That's where the Ancient ruins and the portal to the Grand Kingdom supposedly lie, Zato. That's where we are headed. During that time frame, I was left at a different island with a lot of the crew's families. Since we were also allies with Akaiso at the time, he ensured our protection. Warren and Alan took off to this war to defeat the lord of the Listar Pirate Rebellion, a man by the name of Ranpu Yuushitsu."

Tohru and Evian both froze upon hearing the name. Tohru and Fuyu eyed Evian suspiciously, watching his reaction. He seemed puzzled.

"At the end of this war, Warren returned to us - however, something happened between him and Akaiso in the time. How was I supposed to know the details? I was still a pure cat.. This was eighteen years ago, before some of you were born. I was very young at the time. Well, we were attacked by several pirates at once. And as I said, Akaiso led the final assault. Just as Akaiso was freezing Warren and destroying our glorious captain, just as he choked me with the Devil Fruit, Alan arrived on the scene. But Alan was so different. He seemed weak and indifferent. He seemed to not care about Warren's death. Akaiso gave him a chance to join him. Alan did not even respond. Then a battle ensued, but Alan was quickly shattered. Akaiso proceeded to freeze him and seal him in another realm." Mike's narration came to a close. Everyone else stared silently.

"All this time, Akaiso had sealed Alan in a portion of his base. The only ones capable of breaking this seal were Akaiso, Mr. 1, or me."

"But tell me, if he was just a drunk pirate hunter, why would you let him out?" Fuyu hissed. "Clearly eighteen years of torture has turned him into even more of a cynic."

"No, I had to free him. The reason he attacked so many pirates the past few days - and yes, he's crushed about fifteen whole crews since his release from Akaiso's prison - is because he's been so sedated. Akaiso turned him into a creature that depends on alcohol so he could ultimately use him as a weapon. That is, when the time came right. Once he took over Frona, Akaiso planned to release Alan himself. As long as it was Akaiso who released Alan, he would have perfect control over him - meaning Alan could even go attack Marineford and bring some of it down. When I freed Alan from that realm, not only did it wear away a lot of me.. but he came out as a completely drunken man with no limits. Now he's out wrecking havoc around the sea. Fortunately though, after Olvia beat him, he sorta calmed down."

"You said you had an answer to our question.. what happened with Olvia?"

"The user of the Kumo Kumo no Mi is definitely the daughter of the Sky Lord, Mahakyohaku. You guys seem so surprised about how she recovered your ship and fought Alan all at once. If you recall, Olvia was the only one to come out of her fight at the Frona Kingdom unharmed."

Tohru realized and looked amazed at her godmother.

"You have more to tell us, don't you?" Fuyu asked.

Diz stood upright and faced Zato. "Of course. I came here to forge an alliance with you, Zato. You might think Akaiso's down, but he's the least of your threats. The World Government is after you guys, and they won't stop till you're crushed. I have some settles to score with people, but those tasks can be accomplished in the Helmhammer Sea. That's where you guys need to get going."

Tohru was thrown off. "Wait, but isn't the entrance tunnel to Helmhammer leagues away? It's not like we haven't been going towards it. I mean, we've been drifting in the general direction."

Diz was infuriated. "You don't seem to realize the urgency. There are matters that must be settled right away. The closest island to the Gate of Helm and Hammer is Mix Isle. I can take you guys there within a night's sail. Who's your navigator?"

"That would be me," Tohru said, raising her hand.

"Let's get a move."

/\/\/\  
\/\/\/

_Day 60: Well it's a bit past midnight. I spent a few hours around the deck with Diz. Then I had a looong nap :-) so I'm relaxing in the crow's nest right now. We were moving really fast all day. I'm actually really worried... at least how things are going. Pirates and people like Alan KEEP ON popping up! How am I supposed to defend myself against the world if the world can just snap its fingers and make me disappear. I'm not even a Devil Fruit user! (not that I'd want to be). I might have found this handy Wind Boomerang, but I'm still so weak.. Ms. Penny was probably the easiest opponent I will have.. ever..._  
"Hey Tohru," a voice called.

She dropped her pen, spilling ink all over the diary page. "NOOO!" she squealed. She turned around and saw Evian.. then she squealed even more.

"WHY ARE YOU HERE?" she hissed.

"I'm not creeping! I swear! I just need to clarify something with you."

"Uh huh..." Tohru mumbled. "What?"

"You know that time Akaiso called me Ranpu.."

"Oh yeah..."

"And how you and Fuyu and so many others seem suspicious of me..."

"Uh huh?"

"I'm not really Ranpu Yuushitsu.. and I just thought I should clear that up with you."

"Err... I would hope you're not some pirate leader. Why do people confuse you though? That's where the main suspicion comes."

"I told you once that I was a powerful pirate who sailed the West Blue seas, didn't I? Well.. I was exaggerating.. I was merely a henchman of a crew that went that far. We were at the sidelines of that war, trying to get out. When I saw Ranpu the Lightning Thief slay his father in the middle of the war just to steal his staff, it drove me insane. To the point where I attacked Ranpu and took the staff for myself when his guard was down. Unfortunately, a figment of his image was trapped with me... which caused Warren and his crew to target me. They attacked me and separated me from my crew. All I had was my newly gained staff. I was innocent, trying to avenge an innocent father. I rode my way back over the years to Lightblue Sea. Please don't mistake me as they all do, Tohru.."

"I have a question though," Tohru asked. "Why did you exaggerate your identity in the first place?"

"Because.. I wanted to be accepted. I thought that portraying myself as strong would make you guys want me.."

Tohru was shocked. She never knew the real Evian as this kind of person. She felt bad for the way they had treated him. "But.. Evian.. you _are_ strong. You remember the fight you had with Agora! You crushed him!"

Evian sighed and slowly descended the ladder. Fuyu stood at the other side of the crow's nest, hanging without being seen. He heard the whole thing and felt similar to Tohru. "I know you're there, Fuyu," Tohru whispered. Fuyu grinned and swung over into the crow's nest. He sat down beside Tohru. "Do you not sleep?" she asked. "Well, maybe you do, but probably with one eye open."

"I don't know, Tohru. At times like this, it helps to be aware. I feel that I'm missing so much. Do you know if we're headed towards Mix Isle for sure?"

"The compass is directing us properly. We're headed straight to the Gate of Helm and Hammer. Fortunately, Mix Isle, despite not being on my EXTREMELY vague map, is right in the way. Wait.. we've been traveling long enough. We should be there by now!"

They both got up and looked out to the sea. There was no sign of anything in miles. Well, save for one small outpost drifting ahead of them. Fuyu glared at it suspiciously. "Tohru, stop the ship. Don't go near that.."

"Why not? It's just an outpost. Look, there's someone sitting there!" she exclaimed, looking through her binoculars. Fuyu looked around, making sure they were not missing any factors. "Fuyu, it's just an outpost. People get stationed on the job for day-shifts. They just sit there and give us directions. I mean of course, keep your guard up. But since we're not so sure, there's no harm in asking the man how much longer it is till Mix Isle!"

"Tohru, just don't do anything stupid. I'll go get Zato up."

The ship slowly approached this outpost. Tohru jumped down to the deck and ran to the front. She looked at the dull man sitting in his chair. He was smoking a pipe and gazing off into space.

"Officer-san!" she shouted. "How far on this bearing do we keep till Mix Isle?"

"Mix.. Mix Isle don't exist! Don't tell meh you fell for teh old myth! Pah! Silly pirates these daze!" the man croaked without even making eye contact.

"Wait.. what do you mean it doesn't exist?" Tohru shouted back. Her eyes were widened. 'But.. Diz... said it exists...'

"Pah! I told you to move on! There ain't no Mix Isle around. It's just the old hoax that pirate hunters use to get you lost!"

"No.. you can't be serious.. Fuyu!" Tohru screamed. She spun around to see a horrifying sight. Olvia, Zato, Evian, Mike, and Neko all stood on the deck with hooded figures holding large knives to their necks. "What's going on here...?" Tohru gasped.

One more enemy landed beside her and was about to grab her when it fell to the ground. "Poison.. daggers..?" the person moaned while collapsing.

Tohru spun once more to see the man on the outpost held hostage. "Fuyu!" There the swordsman was, the only crewmate to not lose to the opponents.

"Fuyu, we walked straight into a trap!" Tohru cried. But she noticed something extremely wrong within a blink of her eye. Fuyu and the man had swapped places... and the man was no longer an officer, but in his place stood Diz himself! "Diz? You set us up!"

Zato glared as if expecting it. "My carelessness as usual. Who are you working with, Diz? What do you want with us?"

Diz chuckled as the outpost slowly raised out of the water. Underneath it came a full-blown submarine. "Thanks to my wonderful efforts, we allowed you to simply walk into our hands. Imprison them all, men. Within a few hours, you will be at the mercy of our Hammer God.. the God of Thunder.. the illustrious and magnificent Lord Thor!"


End file.
